Early Risers.

[The Stationmaster]

3 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

A liquid lunch I take it.

No - as the cutlery and serviettes show that was while we were waiting for the food - so something, apart from erudite conversation (hence Brains Trust), had to be done to occupy our time

[Winslow Boy]

48 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I believe that it was “Unravelled“ (Dave) who took the photograph, (Dave is also a member of the “Brains Trust“).

As to why we have named ourselves as the “Brains Trust“ it’s because – believe it or not - sitting around the table are a few centuries worth of cumulative wisdom, sagacity and insight. The trust was originally formed, if memory serves me correctly, to provide me with some assistance and guidance with my - as yet still only partially built - model railway. But we have gone on to bigger and better things.

(By the way, I have just had an interesting thought: as we are a “trust“, could we not apply for charitable status? Such a status would go far in ameliorating the bar bill!)

Very!

It was a veritable tsunami of a liquid lunch, truly a Victoria Falls of free flowing CAMRA approved non-solid nourishment.

And all spectacularly beneficial for one’s body, soul and psyche (trust me on this! I’m a doctor!)

The nibbles were indeed of high quality. Of course, as you quite rightly point out Jamie, that was over four years ago, back when I was (to quote the memorable Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket) a “disgusting fatbody”

 

Now, I can just about to pass for human (on a dark night with a candle light behind me), which I suppose IS an improvement.

 

Lunch is now over (bacon, sausage and black pudding with a mug of coffee), so I think I had better get back to work!

 

Have fun!

I believe several pints of Guiness could in some circles be classed as food. Not that I have of course been in such a circle, but have I  been known to pass within a discretionary orbit of such a constellation. Science has a lot to answer for.

Edited February 8, 2021 by Winslow Boy
Guineas for guiness

[The Stationmaster]

And G'day all,

 

It's rather nippy out there but high cloud and a low temprerature plus the wind mean it's generally dry underfoot although some hald f hearted little snowflakes are trying to make an impact on the scene (and not succeeding). 

 

As it happens I know quite well the chap who called in with the 'wrong kind of snow' comment and it didn't  do his career any harm at all as he became Director of Operations at the BRB and subsequently Managing Director of one of the privatised rail operations companies.  And as Johnny has already said there is indeed 'the wrong kind of snow' and if you are a rail operator it can be a right blasted nuisance.  We had major problems with it in the late 1990s when the fine powdery stuff got into our trains and when the internal temperature in various equipment areas rose the snow mettled and the electronics began to play up or fail leaving trains stranded in the Channel Tunnel.  The belt of snow extended into northern France and SNCF suffered exactly the same problems as us plus the same wider problems that BR had suffered leading to the original comment made on 'Any Answers'.  Our trains were modified with additional (seasonal fit) snow shields which solved the problem but that lesson was forgotten after various people retired and the organisation was slimmed considerably so exactly the same thing happened again early in this century which led to me giving evidence the person who had been charged with investigating why it had happened.

 

There are various well established techniques for dealing with snow on railway infrastructure but they are all based around the behaviour of 'wet' snow and its propensity to refreeze after it has been cleared/melted.  Powder snow is far worse to deal with because it can far too readily get into equipment and if it then melts (even without refreezing) it can wreak havoc that you can't see plus you need the right sort of kit to clear it in the first place.  Fortunately it is relatively rare in Britain.

 

Right onwards and upwards (more likely only up the pages on RMweb).  Have a good day and stay safe.

[Gwiwer]

5 hours ago, AndyB said:

Vest and shorts? 

I thought it was Neil who was from the North East. 

Vest, shorts and a whole lot more!!!  Even the Little Hotties came out to play today which is rare.  Multiple layers on top of the thermals is normally enough.  

 

Not snowing heavily here but regular flurries of the fine-powder polar variety.  Enough of that lying about being idle (as only snow can) to look dramatic in the wind gusts.  Great clouds of white airborne powder perhaps akin to a storm in a flour-mill.  

 

However I am pleased to report that not a single delay has been attributable to the morning's weather and with one exception (caused by a driver going sick at the last moment) the entire service which was planned to run has done so.  I gather our colleagues on Sarfeastern and the Green Train Railway have not been as lucky.  

 

Now home, unwrapped and thawed out post-lunch.  Awaiting several parcels from the Rain Forest Company and others.  A new bathroom cabinet is among them and will require the attention of a whammer and screw-persuader to assemble.  

 

I'll let you know how I rate on the GDB-scale when A&E has finished with me   

[AndyB]

Wrong kind of snow. An erstwhile colleague who made a name for himself trekking across the Arctic and Antarctic struggled occasionally when the snow/ice was too cold. The interface between ski and ice would normally be expect to melt, reducing friction. Too cold and melting didn't happen, and the work rate would go up. He used to come back 3/4 starved.

 

A dusting of snow here.  Time to defrost the bird water bath 

 

And a small parcel has arrived which will add a certain je ne sais quoi to my layout. And by that I mean I'm not sure what it will add quite yet.

[polybear]

 

3 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Also good to see Jamie's photo of the Brains Trust (I wouldn't be able to attend, being a small bear of little brain), I do like to put names to faces being a people person, although do understand when folk don't wish to be identified.  Used to be like that myself when I worked in the criminal justice system.  I have only met Mike of that crew, but I'm sure we'd all get on.

 

Bear's ex-neighbours were of a similar opinion - they were both in the Met at Enfield, and lived in Enfield.  The hubby said that wasn't a good idea so move they did - and got Bear next-door instead....

 

1 hour ago, BoD said:

 

I spoke to my sister last night. 

She is, and has been for a while giving vaccines.  

Finished at 8pm yesterday.

Starting another 7 day week this morning.

Hasn't been able to visit our mum for weeks.

Sometimes I feel like punching those ignoring rules or pushing the boundaries.

 

Sounds like a plan....

 

Bear is a numpty, a bozo, a dimwit......

A little light bulb appeared inside Bear's bonce whilst filling the walls - I suddenly wondered about the packing inside the cooker hood box - more specifically about the large U-shaped cardboard tray that was conspicuous by it's emptiness and lack of chimney.  "I wonder...." thinks Bear.....and a mission to do a double-take ensued.....the cardboard tray was double-walled, and nestled invisibly inside this double wall was.....a chimney

So Bear isn't short of anything after all, except perhaps a brain cell or two.  I would like to offer up the fact that Neff do nothing to point this out - however Bear has lifted this cardboard tray out of the box and back in again, and didn't think that the cardboard seemed unusually heavy.

Bear diagnoses a severe lack of LDC as the cause - send help, urgently - before it's too late.....

 

[New Haven Neil]

Been there, Bear.....such is life.  

 

I recall reading in the US Trains mag about powder snow creating havoc with the enormous GG1 4-Co-Co-4 electrics on the Pennsy - got in through the vents then 'interfered' with the 25kV the scary things ran on.  Got a little one of those in a box somewhere.  

[polybear]

And it seems that someone has raised a petition via official channels for debate in Parliament, assuming it gets 100K signatures:

 

Petition: Do not rollout Covid-19 vaccine passports

We want the Government to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public. Such passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable.

 

And at the last look it had 68K signatures, from a start date of 20th Jan.

#Speechless

[tigerburnie]

On the other hand if they sign it, we now know who they are...............................................

Edited February 8, 2021 by tigerburnie

[NGT6 1315]

Cheers all.

 

This deffo was a, shall we say, unique shift I had. It's almost impossible to describe what tram driving in such severe conditions was like, but an icebreaker ramming through pack ice may be the closest equivalent. There were a couple of nail-biting situations involved, too, such as having to pass intersections at Stop with appropriate caution in order not to get stuck!

 

I'll just leave you with a couple of impressions for now. Services have again been suspended following a number of trams effectively getting stuck when they attempted to sortie in the early morning, and I'm told there have been several derailments as well - none of them with injuries, thankfully.

 

If you ask me, I was, shall we say, stunned to see trams and buses preparing for sortie when we returned shortly after 0400, given our experience. Yeah, I understand the desire to provide at least minimum services, but frankly, I could see how that would end...

Edited February 8, 2021 by NGT6 1315

[jamie92208]

I had also heard about the GG1 problem with powder snow.  I believecthatbthe powder was kicked up by the passage of the train got high enough to get into the traction motor blower air intakes then melted before being sent at pressure into the traction motors, where the insulation didn't like the water. I've got Carl Zimmerman's  book about the G motors somewhere, I'll have to have a look.

 

Jamie

[laurenceb]

51 minutes ago, polybear said:

And it seems that someone has raised a petition via official channels for debate in Parliament, assuming it gets 100K signatures:

 

Petition: Do not rollout Covid-19 vaccine passports

We want the Government to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public. Such passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable.

 

And at the last look it had 68K signatures, from a start date of 20th Jan.

#Speechless

Cake & eat sping to mind. Deffinitly the uninhabited island

Edited February 8, 2021 by laurenceb
missing letter

[Adam88]

28 minutes ago, NGT6 1315 said:

Cheers all.

 

This deffo was a, shall we say, unique shift I had. It's almost impossible to describe what tram driving in such severe conditions was like, but an icebreaker ramming through pack ice may be the closest equivalent. There were a couple of nail-biting situations involved, too, such as having to pass intersections at Stop with appropriate caution in order not to get stuck!

 

I'll just leave you with a couple of impressions for now. Services have again been suspended following a number of trams effectively getting stuck when they attempted to sortie in the early morning, and I'm told there have been several derailments as well - none of them with injuries, thankfully.

 

If you ask me, I was, shall we say, stunned to see trams and buses preparing for sortie when we returned shortly after 0400, given our experience. Yeah, I understand the desire to provide at least minimum services, but frankly, I could see how that would end...

 

A bit like this then? 

 

https://www.nfb.ca/film/paul_tomkowicz_street_railway_switchman/

 

Some things don't change much.

 

 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

fact that Neff do nothing to point this out - however Bear has lifted this cardboard tray out of the box and back in again, and didn't think that the cardboard seemed unusually heavy.

I really did want to ask yesterday if you had thoroughly checked all the packaging but thought perhaps I was being too cheeky. Next time shall I be brave and make my suggestions? 

[Coombe Barton]

31 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I had also heard about the GG1 problem with powder snow.  I believecthatbthe powder was kicked up by the passage of the train got high enough to get into the traction motor blower air intakes then melted before being sent at pressure into the traction motors, where the insulation didn't like the water. I've got Carl Zimmerman's  book about the G motors somewhere, I'll have to have a look.

 

Jamie

Was this a bit like Eurostar a few years back?

[Tony_S]

The Yale padlock on my garden gate had frozen. Not wrong snow, just cold. 

[PeterBB]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

The idea of working on a step ladder above newly fitted (and expensive) cabinets and worktops to fit wallpaper doesn't fill me with glee.  Ponder mode engaged but struggling....

 

Why not just paint what will be (from your sanding) smooth walls.  You can then put up a notice board, pictures of your layout, calendar, ER memorabilia etc. and therefore will have no need of wallpaper!

[jonny777]

Finished The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall, and was about to take a few hours of classics reading break and go back to slide scanning when the phone rang. 

 

It was the doctors, booking me in for a covid jab this Thursday. Wow! They are racing along as I am still 4 weeks from my 68th birthday. 

 

They even gave me a second jab appointment in May. I am a bit bowled over by this. I wasn't expecting a communication until at least mid-March. 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. 

1 hour ago, polybear said:

And it seems that someone has raised a petition via official channels for debate in Parliament, assuming it gets 100K signatures:

 

Petition: Do not rollout Covid-19 vaccine passports

We want the Government to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public. Such passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable.

 

And at the last look it had 68K signatures, from a start date of 20th Jan.

#Speechless

 

51 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

On the other hand if they sign it, we now know who they are...............................................

Why not put out a counter petition demanding that covid-19 passports are available to those who want them? Also what if popular holiday destinations such as Spain or the USA insisted on them? (they might already for all I know.) Its quite possible that some attractions/holiday providers here in the UK will insist on proof of vaccination, more power to their elbow if they do. 

[NGT6 1315]

48 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I had also heard about the GG1 problem with powder snow.  I believecthatbthe powder was kicked up by the passage of the train got high enough to get into the traction motor blower air intakes then melted before being sent at pressure into the traction motors, where the insulation didn't like the water. I've got Carl Zimmerman's  book about the G motors somewhere, I'll have to have a look.

 

Jamie

A mate got stranded some time around noon yesterday when his Tatras were disabled by ingested snow shorting out the traction modules. So, also to respond to @Adam88, yeah, some things don’t change really!

[Adam88]

4 minutes ago, NGT6 1315 said:

A mate got stranded some time around noon yesterday when his Tatras were disabled by ingested snow shorting out the traction modules. So, also to respond to @Adam88, yeah, some things don’t change really!

 

Are vehicles such as https://www.tramway.co.uk/trams/brussels-96/ used these days?

 

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

No - as the cutlery and serviettes show that was while we were waiting for the food - so something, apart from erudite conversation (hence Brains Trust), had to be done to occupy our time

Dominos? Billiards? Karioki? Snap? I spy? I could go on.

[Erichill16]

17 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. 

 

Why not put out a counter petition demanding that covid-19 passports are available to those who want them? Also what if popular holiday destinations such as Spain or the USA insisted on them? (they might already for all I know.) Its quite possible that some attractions/holiday providers here in the UK will insist on proof of vaccination, more power to their elbow if they do. 

I’ve seen a news article a few weeks ago that says Saga cruises will only allow passengers who ave been vaccinated. Not sure how that can be verified.

 

[Ian Abel]

Moaning all <yawn>

 

Saturday very effectively eliminated the first suspect from our latest murder mystery! Yay for an intrepid team of investigators across Zoom 

 

Sunday a different day, Mrs had some carp likely related to ingested comestibles, had her laid low a fair amount of the day

Me, continued with the sinus carp that had also kept me awake from the early hours. Net result less than the usual NOTHING accomplished all day

Not that we'd have ventured anywhere given the weather, anyway!

 

Today - working, let's see how the Long Island client ramps up for the year-end audit - I can hardly wait... 

Mrs off for some physio on her continuing knee travails.

 

COLD... PAH, hold my beer -> -25 but sunny, getting the newspaper this AM, will reach a heady -17 later before descending to -25 overnight! 

It's into the rare temperatures where you can take a boiling mug/pan of water outside and throw it in the air, all vaporizing almost immediately! YouTube has examples!

 

Stay safe and warm

[iL Dottore]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

And it seems that someone has raised a petition via official channels for debate in Parliament, assuming it gets 100K signatures:

 

Petition: Do not rollout Covid-19 vaccine passports

We want the Government to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public. Such passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable.

 

And at the last look it had 68K signatures, from a start date of 20th Jan.

#Speechless

I fear that, if the Government kowtows to these individualists, then the UK will find itself slowly marginalised as more and more countries will adopt a vaccination certificate requirement for entry (and probably for many internal social activities as well). Both the UK and the US will need to come to terms that untrammelled and unrestricted individual freedom will be something that will eventually turn out to be a poisoned chalice. Ever since WWII, many countries have emphasised the fate of the individual over the fate of the society. This will change, in fact must change if CoVID-19 is to be reduced to a manageable risk (not to mention for the future management of other, potentially nastier, viruses currently resident in threatened or endangered species whose habitats are slowly being eroded and which have yet to jump species...)

 

God help us all if a real Zombie Apocalypse occurs, with the uncooperative attitudes exhibited by far too many we'd be up to our necks in the undead before the sensible and reasonable amongst us would have had a chance to slip a cartridge or two into the shotgun.....